Dunno, Hitler had the last word and he was no strategist - we are told that he held out hopes that Anglo-Saxon Britain would eventually come to his side. Perhaps he hoped that our (temporary) defeat in France would weaken our resolve and massacring our troops wholescale on the beaches would make us even more anti? We were an important launchpoint, about the only one, for any attempt to recover the continent, Ireland would not work since it was neutral though, rumours have it, a bit over to Germany's side of the fight - it was a good entry for spies.

Thus Hitler must have been very torn, with Britain out of things due to extreme losses at Dunkirk America would probably have come in sooner.

Yeah, Hitler was a weirdo. He seems like he was a great talker, very charismatic but that was it.

Dunno, Hitler had the last word and he was no strategist - we are told that he held out hopes that Anglo-Saxon Britain would eventually come to his side. Perhaps he hoped that our (temporary) defeat in France would weaken our resolve and massacring our troops wholescale on the beaches would make us even more anti? We were an important launchpoint, about the only one, for any attempt to recover the continent, Ireland would not work since it was neutral though, rumours have it, a bit over to Germany's side of the fight - it was a good entry for spies.

Thus Hitler must have been very torn, with Britain out of things due to extreme losses at Dunkirk America would probably have come in sooner.

Yeah, Hitler was a weirdo. He seems like he was a great talker, very charismatic but that was it.

The idea that Hitler ordered a grand stand down of his troops is deflated by one simple fact: the pause order didn’t actually originate with Hitler. It was first given by General Gerd von Rundstedt, commander of Army Group A, which was the large force fighting in western France. In turn, the pause was requested by von Rundstedt’s tank unit commander, who had lost 50% of his armored forces and needed time to regroup.

The order went, to von Rundstedt, who thought the Luftwaffe could deal with the British while he turned toward Paris and won heroism for himself. He passed it up to Hitler, who rubber stamped it, and the order was given. German generals vociferously blamed Hitler for the British miracle after the war, including von Rundstedt, who placed the whole debacle at Hitler’s feet.

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The universe never did make sense; I suspect it was built on government contract.Robert A. Heinlein

^Ah, when it comes to the bottom line history is written by the winners or, possibly influenced with an agenda. Even with contemporary documentary evidence one can never be sure of the fscts.

Hitler was seen as Germany personified for propaganda purposes and those generals who sought to defy him as honourable men. But since Hitler was (seen as being) the very peak of the autocratic authority pyramid he is almost bound to be the target. Even of those defending their own bad decisions, especially at a time when Hitler could not strike back.

I notice that Rothschild (a rather aristocratic German name) gives no original sources for his evidence despite seeking to be seen as an authority. One has to assume that the "-mainstream historians" he mentions used primary sources and wrote objectively - no pereonal opinions or theories.

In 1497 The "Bonfire of The Vanities" took place in Florence Italy. Followers of the Dominican Friar Girolama Savonarola burned a huge pile of items considered to be sinful. The items included books,artwork, fine clothing, and cosmetics.

Five hundred twenty one years later there are still people who ascribe to that sort of thing.

Not quite on this date, but on 10 Feb 1964 the Australian aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne collided with the Daring class destroyer HMAS Voyager cutting her in two and consigning 81 officers and men plus one civilian to an untimely watery grave. This became even more tragic when on 3 June 1969 Melbourne collided with USS Frank E Evans in very similar circumstances sending 74 US personnel to the deep. It is almost sadly prophetic that Voyager's motto was "Quo Fata Vocant" (Where Fate Calls).

Both accidents were eventually ruled to be due to errors on the destroyers when attempting to take up position as the RESDES (rescue destroyer or plane guard). In both cases the destroyers crossed directly in front of the carrier which was at flying stations at the time and at high speed.

I served on VS-816 squadron embarked in Melbourne between 1979 and 1981, near the end of her service. Although the ship had been cleared of responsibility for both accidents their existence nevertheless cast somewhat of an uneasy presence over those of us who came later. Despite that, she was still a happy ship, especially with Commodore Dave Martin as captain (later Rear Admiral and then Governor of New South Wales). I regard my time in her as one of the greatest highlights of my life.

The actual dates are uncertain but sometime in August of 1684 there were some men in a London coffee house discussing important things. Edmond Halley, Robert Hooke and Christopher Wren were the conversationalists. Halley had puzzled over Keppler's third law and the diktat that the square of the time taken for a planet to orbit the sun is related to the cube of the distance from the sun. Keppler had deduced that this could only be true if the planets are responding to the inverse square law of force. (recall that C. Wren was the architect working on the construction of Saint Pauls cathedral after the destruction of its predecessor by the great fire in 1666 He was also one of the bright ones)

Hooke claimed that he had guessed at the inverse square law and Wren claimed to have thought of it long before Hooke. Halley (he of the comet fame) tired of the gamesmanship and knew that the only man who could settle such an argument was Isaac Newton.

Halley set out from London to Cambridge where Newton held forth. Halley asked Newton what the curve of trajectory of the planets would be. Newton replied immediately: "An ellipse of course". He had calculated the path some 20 years before. Newton was a wierdo who had discovered, invented, and calculated all sorts of things that he had never revealed to any of the parties that would have been keenly interested. He was particularly jealous about his superior knowledge. Newton told Halley that he would produce the mathematical proofs and send them to him. That was a monumental break through for the sciences of the time. Newton produced, for the first time, the clear evidence of his genius and the world was better for it. The dam had broken. Halley had created the breach. Newton for so long the jealous guardian of his discoveries was now willing to pour them forth.

The result of the breach of the intellectual dam was Newton's Philosophae Naturalis Principia Mathematica. Principia was published in 5 July 1687. Three volumes, 550 pages of unsurpassed brilliance, the invention of the calculus, and some of the keys to the universe.

A chance event at a London Coffee house and the ensuing trip to Cambride, by Halley, resulted in some of the most important communication of scientific knowledge that the world had ever known.

Edmond Halley should be celebrated for more than his 76 year comet cycle.

Ah, but who really did invent calculus? Newton or Liebnitz - or was it a very rare coincidental, but entirely independent, discovery of such an important concept?

Rare is not impossible. Russell and Darwin came up with natural selection because the evidence pointed to it. There are times when ideas are born of a common knowledge or advances. Jet engines would be another example of convergent evolution in ideas.

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If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.“Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt.” ― Richard P. Feynman'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry PratchettRemember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

Rare is not impossible. Russell and Darwin came up with natural selection because the evidence pointed to it. There are times when ideas are born of a common knowledge or advances. Jet engines would be another example of convergent evolution in ideas.

On March 2, 1836, Texas declared its independence from Mexico - leaders met at a little town called Washington on the Brazos and made the declaration. It then became The Republic of Texas until it joined the USA in 1845. Four days later, on March 6, the Alamo fell to Santa Anna. On April 21, 1836, Sam Houston’s forces defeated Santa Anna’s army at San Jacinto, securing the Republic’s freedom. Happy Texas Independence Day!

Yeah, they mentioned and covered it many times on the World Service - but I cannot remember mention of it before the day! I see that the New York Times has finally caught up with obits for Charlotte Bronté and several other women from a time when only white males had that accolade.

Yeah, they mentioned and covered it many times on the World Service - but I cannot remember mention of it before the day! I see that the New York Times has finally caught up with obits for Charlotte Bronté and several other women from a time when only white males had that accolade.